Ancient coins cover a longer period of the past than you might think. Starting with the first ever coins issued by the ancient Persians and the city states of Greece. Then you have those issued by the Roman Empire and it's successors, the Byzantines. In broad terms a period of around 1,600 years in total. There are also many other civilisations, apart from the purely Greek and Roman who issued coins during this period that are very worthy of consideration, Parthian, Sassanian and Oriental, to name a few. In short, a collection of ancient coins can satisfy a very wide range of interests! But why collect ancient coins? Well speaking personally, the main reason is a fascination with the sheer antiquity of the material. To hold an ancient coin, to gaze on the portrait of the ruler, a person who wielded enormous power and influence, and wonder about who might have handled that coin when it was newly minted. Not just the great and the good, but the ordinary people. What was their everyday life like? Archaeology has done much to fill in the small details of ancient life, and much has been written on the subject, but you can still wonder! How should you start a collection of ancient coins? There are many different ways, and they depend on how deep your pockets are and what interests you. Firstly, it's important to realise that very few ancient coins are perfect. They were all struck by hand, using a hammer to strike a blank that was often carelessly positioned between two dies. In the ancient world coins were required and were produced in very large quantities. The mint workers did not have time to make sure each coin was perfectly centred. As long as the main elements of the design were visible, and the coin was of the correct weight, they had done a good job! The dies used were hand engraved, and sometimes used for too long, resulting in weak impressions, giving a newly struck coin the appearance of considerable wear! Having said that, it is also worth saying that, over the 1,600 years or so we are talking about, countless millions of coins were struck, melted down and the metal used to strike new issues. As a result many coins have survived down to the present day, and are not as expensive as you might at first think! But let's get back to starting off a collection. There are some collectors who will only buy almost perfect coins with minimal signs of circulation. This is great if you can afford it, but, frankly if only the very best will do, your collection will only grow very slowly. The best advice is always buy the best coin you can find within your budget. Collecting should be an affordable hobby, but if you hardly ever add to your collection, interest can soon wane. That would be a great pity, as a nice collection of ancients can be very rewarding, and inspirational, especially if you have an interest in history. At the other end of the scale, you can begin a collection of ancient coins, particularly Roman surprisingly cheaply! Quite well preserved specimens of small bronze and copper coins of emperors who ruled in the late third and early fourth centuries can be had for around £10 to £15 each. These coins are a particularly good place to start, very affordable with clear designs and readable inscriptions. With a little practise and application even a novice collector will be able to identify different emperors and denominations in a relatively short time. That's how I started, that's how all dealers and collectors start! It's no great mystery, anyone can do it! Eventually you find that you will be able to identify even worn coins, by recognising the emperors portrait or a partial inscription, or a particular reverse design. Some collectors will prefer to concentrate on Silver coins, and it has to be said that in general, despite their small size, they have good fine detail and in general survive better than bronze or copper coins. All coins have been recovered from underground, and this tends to be harder on base metal. Nicely preserved specimens of ancient Roman silver coins for a wide range of emperors can be had for £30 to £50 or so. But it would be a mistake to restrict a collection to just silver or base metal, since for some emperors only silver is available, and for some only copper or bronze. Accepting what is actually available is the best way to build a comprehensive collection! Now a few words about collecting ancient Greek coins. These, alas cannot be obtained as reasonably as Roman coins. The reasons are twofold. Firstly, they are considerably older and secondly they were produced in much smaller quantities for smaller populations. But their appeal lies in their beauty. Many are like miniature works of art. Particularly the large silver Tetradrachms struck in very high relief, with the designs standing proud. These handsome coins were a statement of civic pride issued to proclaim the achievements and wealth of the city states of ancient Greece. The coins of ancient Rome were used to proclaim imperial propaganda, and to show the people who was in charge! One of the most popular of ancient Greek coins is the silver Tetradrachm of Athens, with it's charming reverse design of an Owl. The coinage of Alexander the Great is always in demand, the large silver Tetradrachms struck for captured bullion to pay his army of mercenaries on his march of conquest as far as northern India. The kingdoms set up by Alexander's followers after his death are a fascinating series - the Ptolemies in Egypt, the Seleucid kingdom in Persia, the Indo-Greek kingdoms that lasted down to the end of the first century B.C.. All in all a fascinating and worthwhile field for collecting. The history of the ancient Greeks, Romans, Persians and all the civilisations they came into contact with are well documented. Whether your interest comes firstly from things you have read, or from wanting to know more about the background of the coins in your collection, this can be an enriching and educational hobby. All you have to do is take that first step and buy an ancient coin, it could be the start of something big! Finally a word of caution. Always buy from established dealers. To illustrate this point I'll tell you a sad little story. A number of years ago a tourist was visiting our shop opposite the British Museum. After a considerable amount of browsing, he asked if a particular coin, an Athenian Silver Tetradrachm in near extremely fine condition was a replica. I patiently explained that we only sold original coins and asked the point of his question. He told me he had bought a similar coin in lesser condition for three times the price from a little shop in a middle eastern country. He was naturally concerned and asked me to look at the coin for him. You've probably guessed that it was a fake, and that he had very little chance of recompense, even if he had been able to find the person who sold it to him. So the moral is clear, only buy from someone who is established, if there is a problem, you can always go back to them!